The Birth of Factions in America:

Before Elephants and Donkey’s, there were other characters fighting with each other and dividing people; the Federalists & Anti-Federalists.

Federalists

  • Believed in a strong national government

  • Believed in the proposed Constitution

  • Well educated; Industrial

  • Led by Alexander Hamiltion and James Madison

  • The Federalist Papers were written to encourage support of the ratification of the Constitution.​

Anti-Federalist

  • Believed in States Rights

  • Did not want a strong national government

  • Opposed the proposed Constitution

  • Farmers; Less Educated

  • Led by men like Thomas Jefferson, Samuel Adams, and Patrick Henry

  • The Anti-Federalist Papers were written to denounce the new Constitution.

Both Sets of Documents Were Important Because

  • Think of the Federalist Papers and Anti-Federalist Papers as the Public Relations of the time.

  • Men on each side put their arguments in writing and gave speeches to convince citizens to support their ideas.​

  • It was an important contribution to the debate.

  • Served to Create the Federalist and Democrat-Republican Party (which morphed into Democrats).

  • The debate later led to the creation of the Bill of Rights/

What got Everyone together

The Ability to Compromise is what got everyone together. The main concern at the time was that rights would be violated and everyone needed guarantee of rights. Thats why the first 10 amendments are called the Bill of Rights. They are meant to guarantee the rights. They are as follows:

  • 1st - Freedom of speech, press, religion, peaceably assemble, petition the government

  • 2nd – Well regulated militia, the right of the people to keep and bear arms.

  • 3rd – No quartering of soldiers in any house.

  • 4th – Freedom from unreasonable search and seizure.

  • 5th – Right to due process of law, freedom from self-incrimination, freedom of double jeopardy.

  • 6th – Right of accused person, right to a speedy trial, right to public trial.

  • 7th – Right to trial by jury in civil cases.

  • 8th – Freedom from excessive bail, cruel and unusual punishment.

  • 9th – Other rights of the people.

  • 10th – Power reserved to the state.

This is a radical departure from what monarchies were able to get away with in millennia past. There are some principles that the writers of the Constitution followed. Let’s discuss them here.